We are Korean Moms in training dedicated to psycho-analyzing our moms, reliving horrible memories of embarrassment and dread for the benefit of the public...all the while laughing like a wheezy grandpa. Someone needs to pay for our therapy...

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

#28 Scrubbing...

...their skin off. Yes, it's time to mention what every Korean Mom has in the shower. The infamous 'Italy Cloth', or 'Ddeh' cloth. It removes dead skin, a layer of fat, some muscle, and if you scrub hard enough; your soul. Korean Moms are gangsta because they don't cry out from the pain, they say 'Joh-ttah!' instead. Scrubbing with the ddeh cloth should be on a Fear Factor episode. It's either red or green with 2 black stripes running down one end. Either way...it hurts like a mofo. Korean Moms use this EVERYWHERE. They will even hire other Korean Moms to use it on them at Saunas while they lie there in their flayed pale nakedness. Like a piece of raw chicken. They will try and scrub off dirt, hair, moles, birthmarks...everything is up for grabs. Warning: if you know your Korean Mom has used this cloth, no matter how curious you may be, or how 'Shee-won-hae' she claims it is, do not use it on yourself. It's been.....*whispers* there. The Ddeh cloth is a one woman cloth, get your own.

26 comments:

i'm dying, you're going to die too, when you read this: last night i got home and soaked in the bathtub for a while and was like, ew woah i have a lot of ddeh, but i lost my korean bath scrubby, so i told andy to get a new green scrub pad from the kitchen so i could use that instead!!! it totally hurt, but was worth it, i feel very clean.

lol this is so true. My mom used to scrub me since i was very young (maybe 4?) and no matter how many times i tell her i hate this and it really hurts so much she will say "shut up. this is very necessary to clean ur body" and will scrub me for an hour. And she loves this italy towel. She always buys these from korea and keeps always spare new ones in case she loses and she sometimes asks me to scrub her back. but my mom has really good skin and so do i. So i owe it to this italy towels.!!Italy towels rock!! i love them but yes they do hurt and make my skin so red for a while LOL

Scrubbing ddeh and then going under nice hot, almost scalding water has got to be one of the BEST feelings in the world. Uhhh.... I wish I was in Korean where it only costs manwon to get your ddeh scrubbed, I don't have the energy to do a decent job myself. Sigh.. :(

I have a nice case of KP - no, not Korean Pride, but Keratosis Pilaris... She would scrub that shit off until it came off! Basically, I just turned all red everywhere and it was still there but just "smoother"... She told me that it would disappear once I gave birth so of course, I got married and preggers in a jiffy-lube and guess what - I still have it! (Okay, it's actually not as bad as it used to be so maybe she was kinda right...) And she would try to scrub off my jum's too... Like that was going to work!

Where can I get one of these Korean scrubbing mitts in Arizona or online? I used to go have body scrubs at a bath house in the Seattle area, but now I've moved to the desert and can't find one anywhere!

Amazon.com has my favorite italy towel - Salux. They come in pastel colors, are softer and more sudsy than the red and green ones, and are more durable than the knock-offs. I collect them every time I go to the Asian market, and have given them to friends and boyfriends, who are all now addicted.

My husband who is Japanese grew up using the Salux cloths, but once I gave him the Korean red or green viscose-type cloths, he was hooked. He even tells his Japanese friends that the Korean ones work better because they don't suds up as much. The viscose type of cloth is rougher, but I think that's why they're more effective in rubbing off more ddeh.

Hi Chiyo!I recently came across your blog and i'm obsessed with korean womens beauty! i was so surprised to learn about the italy towel! what a wonderful way to clean yourself! i do have a few doubts though... I have old scars,hyperpigmentation,melasma and what not througout my body and face! also i have hyperpigmentation in my armpits and genital area. I desperatly want to remove them,,...is the korean body scrubbing technique good to remove all these imperfections? i am planning to buy one of those from my local hmart, but wanted to have few opinions before i do so :) I was a bit over weight before and i know the hyperpigmentation was due to that.. no i'm slim as a stick but the darkness has not gone.. please advice me!!! i love your blog!! keep up the wood work!

hey chiyo! i love your site!I recently discovered about the Italy towel from your website and I cant wait to try it out! but i have few questions though... I have hyperpigmentation in my armpits and genital area due to the weight i put on 2years back.. will i be able to remove them with the italy towel? or do u have any other korean beauty secrets? :) i desperatlet want to have even skin tone all over ( i have fair skin) also i have heard by using italy towel regularly it will remove blackheads and even stretch marks... is it true? keep up the good work!